Pitt
Toledo
Panthers Fall to Toledo, 70-58, in WNIT First Round
3/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 19, 2010
TOLEDO, Ohio — Taneisha Harrison scored 18 points, but the Panthers could not get past the hot hand of Toledo, falling 70-58 here tonight at Savage Arena in first-round action of the WNIT.
Toledo (25-8, 12-4 MAC) was able to win for the 13th time at home this season after a strong opening half, throwing up the second-most on Pitt this season with 46.
Pitt (16-15, 5-11 Big East) was led by Taneisha Harrison and Brittaney Thomas. Harrison totaled 18 points on the night and grabbed three rebounds, keeping the Panthers within striking distance most of the game. Thomas registered 12 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists.
Toledo’s Naama Shafir, one of the nation’s assists leaders, led all scorers with 23 points. She also grabbed five rebounds and added a game-high five assists.
Toledo opened up the game with a 10-0 run, highlighted by two three-pointers from Jessica Williams. The Panthers were forced to call a timeout just over two minutes into the game when Melissa Goodall jumper made it 8-0.
Sims’ three-pointer was Pitt’s first field goal of the half, coming at the 17:04 mark. The Rockets continued to pour it on, this time with a 10-2 run to bring the score to 20-5 with just over seven minutes expired off the clock. Naama Shafir hit a pair of buckets and Williams added her third three of the half to provide the charge for UT.
Pitt cut the deficit to 11 off a Harrison jumped with 2:51 to play, but the Rockets would quickly answer with three’s from Williams and Sharif, ending the half up 46-30.
Toledo shot a blistering 60.7 percent (17-of-28) from the field in the first half, including 53.3 (8-of-15) from behind the arc. Harrison led the Panthers through the first half, totaling 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
